Features: Skills Shortage

The UK is in a war for talent. While the unemployment rate shifts month to month, overall this figure has remained relatively low for an extended time - further illustrating the skills shortage across the UK. While there isn’t a single solution to this, the Spring Statement last week highlighted that jobs, skills investment and productivity are high on the agenda.

Last month’s budget announcement was full of promise with regard to bridging the productivity and skills gap for the UK as Philip Hammond promised extra funding for artificial intelligence, skills and technology. But when it comes to helping young people find their feet in a struggling workforce, this ad-hoc government funding for impressive-sounding technology misses the mark.

While there has been an increase in A-level entries for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects, there is now concern that there is a shortage of teachers across technical subjects. The Department for Education Initial Teacher Training census reports that recruitment targets are not being met, despite employment of teachers being at the core of the British government’s strategy to help fill the void of engineers.

In a new white paper published today, Future Cert argues that a double-whammy of factors is taking its toll. Traditional education methods are too theoretical and ignore the knowledge, skills and abilities required by 21st Century employers, they say. At the same time, employers are perpetuating skills shortages by failing to support IT staff with the training and development needed to grow their organisations.

If the UK is to maintain its position in the global economy, it’s crucial that we address the skills shortage now. Targeted recruitment may be part of the answer, but it’s only a short term fix. We need to focus on upskilling our current workforce, to give them the competencies needed to thrive not only today but in the coming years.

Increasing levels of gender diversity, widening talent pipelines and improving the wider public image of the sector will help to tackle the ongoing skills shortages plaguing the construction industry. From Paul Payne, Managing Director of One Way.

Over five million UK employees are ‘over-educated’ for their jobs - a third more than a decade ago and UK productivity held back as employers fail to make use of employees’ skills. From Joe Dromey, IPPR Senior Research Fellow – IPPR.

The CBI released its Education and Skills survey which found that three quarters (75 percent) of businesses expect to increase the number of high-skilled roles over the coming years, but 61 percent fear that there will be a lack of sufficiently skilled people to fill them. Contribution from Tom Hadley, REC Director of Policy.